


Count to Ten

by theprincessespen



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-02 07:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessespen/pseuds/theprincessespen
Summary: Alex is hurt on the job. Again.It probably won’t be the last time.But what if it is?





	1. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

One.

The number of blows to the head it took for Alex to lay unconscious on the ground.

_It was two in the morning when Alex got the call. An alien robbery._

_She sighed and rolled her eyes. The timing was a little inconvenient but the situation wasn’t anything she felt she needed to be worried about. She got up, got dressed, kissed the sleeping body still in bed and headed to the scene._

 

Two.

The number of people it took to carry her to safety.

_“Where is Supergirl?” The first question Alex was asked upon arriving to the scene._

_“She’s got bigger fish to fry. Trust me,” Alex chuckled. “Let’s get in and get out guys. I’ve got a cozy bed to get back to.”_

_Instructions were given and everyone headed into the building accordingly._

_Unfortunately for Alex, she just happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was making her way up the back stairwell when the third subject came barreling down the stairs, fleeing the scene and taking her down in the process. The force of his body sent Alex falling headfirst over the railing._

_It had been a few minutes before anyone even found her._

 

Three.

How many hours it took for the news to make its way to Kara.

_Determined feet on a serious mission made their way down the concrete halls of the DEO and came to a crashing halt at the sight of her sister._

_J’onn and Brainy both looked up quickly at the sound of a loud gasp coming from the doorway._

_“What the hell happened?” Kara let out barely above a whisper. Tears were on the verge of escaping, but she held it together._

_“How long has she been like this and why didn’t I find out sooner?” She asked harshly. Her voice still shaking, but this time loud enough for the people in question to hear._

_J’onn struggled to answer. So he simply looked at Kara apologetically and stepped back while motioning for Brainy to do the same._

_As Kara made her way to her sister’s side, she took Alex’s hand and held on tight._

_“Come on Alex,” she said. And with that came a flood of tears._

 

Four.

The amount of times Kelly’s phone rang before she answered.

_“Damn it,” Kelly swore sleepily under her breath at the sound of what she thought was her alarm going off._

_Her eyes blinked a few times as she finally came to. When she realized it wasn’t her alarm she groaned and closed her eyes again._

_“Honey, your phone,” she said groggily._

_She got nothing in response and was starting to get annoyed as the phone continued to ring._

_“Alex, please.”_

_This time she turned over. She made an attempt to nudge who she thought was asleep beside her, but she was met with nothing but cold sheets. That’s when she realized it was her phone that was the source of all the ringing._

_She shuffled around until her hands found their way to her nightstand where her phone layed. She grabbed it as fast as her tired hands would let her. Confusion set in when she saw the name displayed on her screen._

_“Kara?”_

_“Kelly. You need to get to the DEO.”_

_That was all she needed to hear._

 

Five.

The number of times Kelly was asked where they were going before she could respond.

_Kelly drove the car faster than she typically would but not fast enough to put herself or the 7 year old in the backseat in danger._

_“Mama,” the little girl whined. “It’s so early.”_

_Kelly said nothing._

_“Mama,” she cried out again. A little louder and a little crankier._

_Kelly wasn’t trying to ignore her. She was just so focused on getting to Alex and keeping herself calm that she unintentionally drowned out everything else around her. Including her daughter._

_“Mama,” she spoke up one more time. “Where are we going?”_

_It was the fifth time the question had come out of the girl’s mouth since being woken up and pulled out of bed at five in the morning._

_The first two times she was asked the question she heard it loud and clear. But she didn’t respond. She couldn’t._

_The third and fourth time Kelly was trying too hard to silence the what-ifs in her head._

_This time though, the little girl asked with enough fear in her voice to pull Kelly from her reverie. She looked in the rear view mirror and her heart broke at the sight of her daughter. Still in her pj’s, clinging tight to her stuffed koala, and tears rolling down her face._

_Sweet Ava. Their little koala. A nickname given to her by Alex after their first time meeting the little girl who would soon become their daughter. She clung to Alex and Kelly that day and they instantly knew she needed them. It’s been four years and she still clings to them just as tight._

_Kelly took a deep breath and turned around when she came to a red light. Sad eyes met hers as she reached for the little girl’s hand._

_“We’re going to see mommy.”_


	2. Six. Seven.

_Six._

_The number of deep breaths Kelly forces herself to take before she musters up the courage to go inside._

She sits in the driver’s seat and breathes in and out deeply, trying to steady her heart. She closes her eyes as she inhales and opens them each time she breathes out, willing the tears not to fall.

She’s not ready to face this one.

They wait.

She breathes. 

“What’s taking her so long? I wanna go home,” Ava whines, dragging out every vowel. “I wanna go back to bed.”

When she turns around to face her daughter Kelly notices the little girl looking out of the window towards the door. Alex’s door. The one she always comes out of when on the days they pick her up. On the days Supergirl gives her a lift. On the days she jogs to work. On the days she rides her motorcycle because  _ it’s not supposed to rain today babe, I’ll be fine. _

How does she do this? How does she explain to this precious girl that her mommy isn’t coming out of that door?

“Ava,” Kelly breathes out. “Look at me sweetie.”

Ava’s glossy eyes meet her mother’s. 

Those big brown eyes. So much like Kelly’s that you’d never guess she was adopted. 

Her heart shatters as she faces the fact that it’s time to explain to her daughter what’s going on.

“Come here bug.”

Ava unbuckles herself and climbs over the console to get to her mom, still hanging on tight to her koala. 

Kelly is grateful for her daughter’s small size. She fits so perfectly in her lap and for a moment she wishes she would stay this way forever. Small enough to fit in her arms, protected from every ounce of harm that could possibly come her way. God, what she would give.

She presses one long kiss to Ava’s forehead before opening her mouth to explain. 

“Baby, we’re not picking mommy up to go home right now, okay?” Her voice cracks. “We have to go inside to see her.”

Ava looks up confused. 

“But we’re not s’posed to go in, remember? Mommy likes when we wait for her out here cuz she doesn’t want us to get hurt.”

“Yes, you’re right. But this time is a little different.”

 

_Seven._

_The number of people standing outside of the med bay when Kelly walks in._

Kara, Eliza, J’onn, James, Lena, Brainy and Nia. 

They all turn to look at Alex’s wife as she comes down the hallway with Ava in her arms. Eliza is the first to get to her. She reaches for her granddaughter and Kelly hands her over as best as she can before the little girl starts to put up a fight. 

“Mama! No!” She screams and grips Kelly’s sleeve with no intention of letting go as Eliza pulls her away. 

She screams again. This time at the top of her lungs. A full blown meltdown begins. Both for the young girl and the woman who was trying so hard to hold it all together for just a few more minutes.

Everything hits her and Kelly drops to her knees. She barely reaches the ground before James in on the ground with her, holding her as she falls apart.

Kara rushes over to help calm her niece. Without a second thought she cups her hands over Ava’s ears and presses their foreheads together as Eliza continues to hold her.

The meltdown continues, but Kara doesn’t budge, and slowly the screaming stops. 

“It’s ok Ava,” Kara soothes. “It’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok.”

The crying lessens to a soft whimper and the tension in her tiny body disappears as she melts into her grandmother’s body. When her tired head starts to drop Eliza begins to carry her away.

“I’m going to take her to lie down,” she says.

Kara nods, and when she turns around she finds everyone on the ground, huddled around Kelly. She joins them.

They stay there in silence for a few minutes until James speaks up when he notices his sister’s tears slowing down. 

“Are you ready?” He asks gently.

Kelly hesitates but lets out a quiet answer. “Almost.”

“Let’s count to ten,” he suggests.

Kelly nods. She starts counting.

 

She only makes it to eight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love on the first chapter! This story will only be three chapters in total but I might start a series with this little family if you guys want more :)


	3. Eight. Nine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly asks a lot of questions and Ava has a really big heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so maybe I lied. I decided to make Ten it’s own chapter, so stay tuned for that. It honestly might be a while before I post it because I really want to end this story right. But for now, enjoy this chapter!

_Eight._

_The number of questions Kelly asks to help ease her mind._

“How did this happen? Why was she alone? Where was her backup?”

Questions one, two and three. She doesn’t leave enough time in between each question for anyone to give her an answer.

Kara opens her mouth to speak but J’onn answers before she has the chance, because he knows. He knows exactly what’s about to come out of Kara’s mouth. An unnecessary apology for not being there for her sister to keep her safe. She was about to blame herself for all of this, but J’onn spoke up before she could do it.

“Look,” he says. His voice deep, serious and sad at the same time. “Whether she was sent in with two DEO agents or two thousand, this still could’ve happened. It was an unfortunate accident and the only one to blame is that bastard who escaped.”

This wasn’t the answer Kelly was looking for. It wasn’t the answer Kara wanted to hear either, but they both knew it was true. They needed someone to be angry with, whether it was themselves or someone else.

Kelly pauses for a moment before moving closer to Alex’s bed. She needed to be close. She touches her wife’s hand knowing Alex can’t hold hers in return, but she has to feel something. She stands there looking down and her head fills up with more questions needing answers.

“Why is she here?” She asks, not looking away from Alex for one second. “Shouldn’t she be in a hospital?”

Questions four and five.

“This is the best place for her Kelly,” Kara responds softly. “She’s got the best help she can get with some of the best technology that’s out there.”

“This is correct,” Brainy chimes in. He walks over and places a comforting hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “We will stop at nothing to ensure Director Danvers’s health is fully restored.”

Kelly nods at Brainy and then returns her focus to her wife. She sits down on the bed and places the pale hand she’s holding her lap. She leans forward slightly to move a strand of hair off Alex’s face. Tears return to her eyes and she asks another question.

“Is she in pain?”

Question number six.

“No.” This time it’s Lena who speaks up from her spot next to Kara. She’s been by her side from the moment she heard what happened. “Her comatose state keeps her from feeling any pain.”

Kelly let’s out a small sigh of relief before another question comes out. “Will there be any brain damage when she wakes up?”

Question number seven.

Lena immediately looks over at James knowingly. They had discussed this already in a conversation they had before Kelly made it to the DEO. Lena lets him take this one.

“Kelly, if sh-”

“When,” she snaps, all but yelling. The loudest she’s been since she made her entrance. “When she wakes up. She’s going to wake up.”

Something in her breaks. The same way it did before. She falls forward, resting her head on Alex’s chest, and sobs uncontrollably.

“Alex,” she cries out. The pain in her voice nearly breaking everyone in the room. “You have to wake up. Don’t do this to me.”

Kara begins to cry. Not able to take it anymore she turns and runs out of the room. Lena follows her. Nia enters as they leave, returning from finding blankets for Eliza and Ava. She sees Brainy standing in the corner looking confused about the emotions he’s feeling. She makes her way over to him and pulls him into a hug.

James moves towards the bed and pulls up a chair. He sits down and rubs loving circle on his sister’s back. The people left in the room barely hear her muffled question through the tears.

“What do I do?”

Her eighth and final question. This time, no one has an answer.

_Nine._

_The number of days it’s been since anyone has heard Alex’s voice._

For nine whole days James, Lena, J’onn, Brainy and Nia have been without their friend. Kara without her sister. Eliza without her daughter. Ava without her mother. Kelly without her wife.

Nine days and Alex’s state hasn’t changed. She’s regained some of her color and looks a little less lifeless, but still, nothing has changed. Her wife sits diligently by her side day after day, waiting for something to happen. She sits and stares blankly at her laptop when the sound of a familiar voice pulls her out of a daze.

Two small feet wearing dirty white converse make their way around the corner and through the door. Eliza is a few seconds behind her.

“Hi Mama!” She runs up to Kelly and the laptop is moved out of the way in just enough time to catch the little girl.

“Hi sweet girl,” she replies, planting kisses on her warm golden cheeks. She smiles for the first time in days. “I missed you.”

Eliza makes her way over to where the two sat.

“Hi hun,” she says softly, bending over to give Kelly a hug and then situates herself in the chair next to her daughter-in-law. She’s tired. Kelly can tell.

“Hey,” she says in response, “thank you for keeping her for me.”

She was extremely grateful that Eliza had offered to take Ava back to Midvale with her for the weekend. She wanted nothing more than for her daughter to get away from all of this. It had been really hard on her the first few days after everything happened. It was hard on everyone, but Ava especially. She began acting out in ways she never had before. Talking back, refusing to listen, having uncontrollable meltdowns, ignoring her teachers at school. Kelly would try talking to her but it only made things worse. She’d just shut down every time. Not even Kara could get through to her. Kelly didn’t know what to do.

She knew exactly what her daughter needed, but she couldn’t give it to her.

She needed Alex. They both did.

“Were you good for Nana?” Kelly asks with a serious face, hoping to get an honest answer out of her.

“Yes,” she says unsure, looking to her Grandma to back her up. Eliza looks back at her and nods.

“She did just fine,” the older woman smiles.

“Oh! Mama guess what!” The little girl blurts out excitedly, startling both women. She turns herself around in her mother’s lap and sits up so they’re eye to eye. “Cupcake can swim!”

“No way!” Kelly attempts to match her daughter’s enthusiasm.

Her face lights up as she talks about her stuffed koala. “Me and Nana were on the beach and the wind blew him into the water and he didn’t drown. He swam all by himself!”

Eliza and Kelly both laughed.

“And I can’t wait to tell Mommy because she said he couldn’t swim, remember that?”

“I do remember,” Kelly responds with a sad smile on her face.

“And guess what else Cupcake did Mama,” the little girl continues as she hops off of Kelly’s lap to grab the toy from her bag.

“What did he do sweetie?”

She finds the Koala and makes her way back over to her mother, standing in between her legs. “He collected hugs for mommy. A bunch of them!”

With her daughter’s imagination, there’s no telling what she meant by this. Eliza sees the confused look on Kelly’s face and helps explain.

“Cupcake went to a lot of places with us this weekend and met some new people,” she begins, “and everywhere he went Ava made sure they gave him a hug to bring back for Alex.”

A lump formed in Kelly’s throat and her eyes began to water. She knew her daughter had a big heart, but man, she never ceases to amaze her.

“If mommy gets enough hugs maybe she’ll wake up,” Ava explains.  

Kelly swallows, trying to hold back the tears. “You are one special girl, you know that?”

She wraps Ava in her arms and holds on tight. Then the little girl speaks up again.

“Now you give Cupcake a big hug too.” She holds the animal up for Kelly to grab. “Mommy needs your hugs the most.”


	4. Ten.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.

 “...six, seven, eight, nine,” James pretends to struggle before reaching the final number. “Ten!”

He finishes his last push up with the curly haired girl on his back. Soft laughter from the adults in the room filled the air, along with a high pitched giggle from his niece. It was just another day spent in Alex’s room, though Kelly hated that everyone called it that. It felt too permanent. 

 _You know what they say Kel. Home is where the heart is_. She hears her brother’s voice in her head saying that cliche quote on the day she first considered moving to National City permanently. He was referring to Alex. She was Kelly’s home. She still is her home, and that is why she’d much rather spend her days here, between the confines of these four bland walls than in the house they had called home for years. 

“Alright kid,” James says as he stands with Ava still on his back. “That’s enough of that. Uncle James is getting old and you’re getting heavy.”

“It’s probably all the junk food she’s gotten away with eating today,” Kelly adds.

Guilty eyes look over at Nia and then back at James. Before anyone gets a chance to defend themselves Kelly speaks up again. “I saw the pictures. Very cute by the way.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the stunned look on her daughter’s face when she realized they’d been busted. Just a few hours ago, Lena had sent Kelly all kinds of pictures of the gang at the fair. One photo in particular showed Ava holding a half eaten corn dog in one hand and a giant bag of cotton candy in the other, with Kara in the background totally encouraging the whole thing. 

Nia throws her hands up in surrender from her spot next to Kelly. “I’m sorry, but we had to. The kid had never had a corndog before! How is that even possible?”

Kelly raises an eyebrow. “And what about the cotton cavity on a stick? What’s your excuse for that?”

“She pouted!” 

“Puppy dog eyes and everything.” James adds, tickling the little girl on his back.

“Well, she learned from best,” Kara chimes in smugly as she enters the room.

Kelly lets out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, you Danvers girls have got it bad.”

“You do realize you’re a Danvers too, right?” James asks, calling his sister out.

“Touché," Kelly smirks, thinking of all the times she’s used the pout to her advantage. "I must’ve inherited it along with the name.”

She then changes the subject back to what they were discussing before Kara walked in. “Did you like the corndog at least, bug?”

“I give it a ten out of ten!”

They all laugh, then the room slowly goes quiet. Sensing that Kara and Kelly need some time to talk, James starts to move towards the door. 

“Why don’t we go explore a little bit? Maybe we can find some cool gadgets to play with,” he suggests, looking over his shoulder at Ava.

“Yeah! Mama, can we go explore? I wanna see all the cool stuff!”

“Go ahead. Just don’t go too far, James. We’ve gotta get going here soon.”

He nods in response. “Nia, wanna join us?”

“Sure thing,” she answers, giving Kelly a reassuring pat on the knee as she gets up and follows the two out the door. 

Kara walks over and sits in the now empty seat next to her sister-in-law and rests her head on her shoulder. After a few minutes spent in silence Kara speaks up. “How are you holding up?”

“I should be asking you the same question. I know you’ve been drowning yourself in work just to stay distracted.”

Kara lifts her head and the two women look at each other. “Yeah, I have,” she admits. “I know it’s not healthy, but I have to keep myself from thinking about what the outcome could be. It’s the only thing I can do for myself right now.”

“That’s understandable,” Kelly sighs, staring blankly towards Alex. “If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how I feel anymore. I’ve spent years helping people talk through their feelings and teaching them how to cope, yet I can’t even do that for myself right now. I- I just,” she pauses and takes a deep breath. “I feel numb, Kara. I don’t have any tears left in me to cry.”

“I’ve got enough for the both of us it seems.” Kara wipes away the tear that begins to fall down her own cheek. “You need to talk to her, Kelly.”

The blank stare Kelly was holding was broken by the comment. She looks at Kara and waits for her to continue. 

“I’m no psychologist. I can’t tell you how to cope, but I can tell you what has helped me, and that’s talking to her. I’ve always told Alex everything, and I always will. I can only imagine the things you’ve been bottling up inside and it’ll tear you apart if you don’t let it out. Talk to her.”

“Kara,” Kelly shakes her head and looks down into her lap. She was about to remind Kara that Alex can’t hear her, but she doesn’t need to. They both know that. 

“Don’t do it for her, Kelly. Do it for you.”

Kara reaches over and pulls Kelly in for a hug. She holds her tight for few seconds and then gets up to leave. 

After a few minutes, Kelly convinces herself that Kara might be right. She closes her eyes, tells herself it’s ok, then gets up and walks over to the bed. She sits down next to her wife and grabs her hand, placing it between both of hers. 

“Alex,” she whispers. “We haven’t had long enough. Six years is nowhere near long enough with you. We’re only just getting started. We still have so much to do, and I still have so much to tell you. There’s so many things I’ve left unsaid because I-” She stops for a second. The numbness she spoke of earlier leaves her body and she’s hit with so many overwhelming emotions. “I thought I had time. I thought I had time to tell you are it for me, Alex Danvers. I won’t have it in me to love again if you’re not here.” 

The weight of it all becomes unbearable, so she carefully lays down and places her head on Alex’s chest. She takes a moment to gather herself.  

 _Tell her everything._ She hears Kara say.

So she does.

“I thought I had time to tell you that the crazy dream you had of us and our six kids wasn’t crazy. I want that. Give me all the kids if it means I get to have them with you. And I admit that I suck at every game known to mankind, and I only win because you’re on my team. You’ve been trying to get me to admit that since our first game night, so there you have it. You’re the reason we win, and I don’t want any other game night partner but you. And I never got to tell you that your cooking isn’t all that terrible. I just like giving you a hard time, and I didn’t want you thinking you’re a better cook than I am. And I don’t want you to grow your hair back out. When you asked me last month if you should, I lied, and I’m sorry. But I love it the way it is. Your short cut is sexy and makes it easier to kiss your neck.”

The thought makes her smile. She loved kissing her neck for the simple fact that it drove Alex absolutely crazy. She thinks back on the first time she kissed her neck. 

 

_It was the morning after their first time. She woke up to an empty bed and found Alex in the kitchen making them breakfast. She walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “What are you doing out of bed already?”_

_“Kelly, it’s ten in the morning,” she laughs._

_“We’ve got more sleeping to do. Come back to bed.” The shorter woman stands on her tip toes and showers her girlfriends neck with kisses._

_“Jesus christ,” Alex moans, leaning into Kelly’s embrace, and they both go back to bed._

 

“I’m not ready for the kisses to end, Alex. Or the lazy Sunday mornings snuggles with my two favorite girls. I’m not ready to come home after a long day without you there to hold me. I swear your hugs are better than any kind of therapy out there.”

As the last confession escapes her lips, she remembers the conversation she had with her daughter a few days ago. She looks over and sees Cupcake right where she left him. The little girl placed him on a stool next to the bed and demanded that he be left there to keep watch over Alex. She gently reaches over to grab the koala and places him next to her wife’s head.

“If you don’t pull through for me, do it for Ava.” The tears she didn’t think she had left are back and she can’t stop them from falling. “I can’t keep being selfish and giving you reasons I need you. Our little girl needs you more than anyone else. Alex, please.”

At this point she’s sobbing. Even harder than she had on the day she got the news. Feeling like she has nothing left to give she decides to pray to whatever God might be listening. She’s never been one to pray, _but if this is what it takes,_ she thinks to herself. She closes her eyes and says a prayer. It couldn’t have lasted any longer than ten seconds, but she didn’t need long. She only had one thing to ask for. 

When she finishes praying, she’s startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She suddenly becomes embarrassed when she realizes Kara must’ve been standing by the door the entire time, hearing everything she had just told Alex.

She opens her eyes, lifts her head and turns toward the door, ready to ask Kara how much of that she’d heard. But she sees no one. 

When she turns back around, a tired pair of tear filled eyes are staring back at her. 

“Alex?”

  

_Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage._

_Kelly only needed ten._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for following along with this story! I really struggled with how to end this and I hope I didn't disappoint. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so I'm still learning, but I had blast writing this and I hope you've enjoyed reading it.
> 
> There will be more to come from this little family. I'd like to start a ficlet series of little moments in their lives so feel free to send prompts. :)


	5. Ava

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not an actual chapter, sorry! Just wanted you guys to have an imagine of how I picture Ava. You'll hopefully be finding out more about her story soon :)

Ava Rae Danvers


End file.
